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by Heather Livingston
and Russell Boniface
Component leaders joined forces on February 10 to
take issues important to architects, and consequently the rest of the
U.S. citizenry, to their representatives in the 109th Congress. AIA members
have repeatedly identified government advocacy as critical to the profession,
a key reason for becoming (and remaining) an AIA member, and an effort
that should be conducted year-round. Following presentations from Representatives
Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and an advocacy panel
composed of lobbyists and policy-watchers, AIA component leaders headed
to Capitol Hill to bring their messages to their states’ legislators.
Members of the AIA national component staff tagged along with the AIA
Houston and AIA Oregon delegations to bring you this report.
Setting the agenda
On the evening of February 9, Tom Wolfe, AIA senior director of
federal affairs, outlined the specifics of the AIA’s legislative
agenda. Grassroots participants were given four “asks” to
take to the Hill, three of which were targeted and one universal. The
universal ask was cosponsorship of the Portman-Jefferson
Affordable Housing/Historic Preservation/Community Revitalization bill.
The AIA supports the bill, which updates the federal tax credit for
rehabilitation of historic buildings. Portman-Jefferson would expand
the credit for residential rental housing, allow the credit to be used
in tandem with the low-income tax credit, and increase the amount of
the credit in difficult-to-redevelop areas. The bill was introduced
late in the 108th Congress, and no committee action was taken. Grassroots
leaders asked their members of Congress to sign on as cosponsors and
their senators to sponsor a counterpart bill.
Three targeted “asks” were assigned based on the legislators’ roles
in Congress and the specifics of their localities:
- The Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative would create an environmental
remediation tax credit for the clean-up of contaminated sites in disadvantaged
neighborhoods
- The AIA’s energy initiative would task GSA with establishing
a photovoltaic energy commercialization program to procure and install
solar electric systems in new and existing federal buildings
- The Community Enhancement/Transportation Initiative would add funds
to the soon-to-be-debated highway bill to study
the impact of transportation construction on neighboring communities,
and recommend ways of encouraging thoughtful design that builds community
rather than disenfranchises residents and businesses.
AIA Government Advocacy Vice President Ron Faucheux, Esq., PhD, said, “Your
job tomorrow is to be a good citizen, a good architect, and fight to
make the world a better place.”
Advice from the panel
Before heading to Capitol Hill on February 10, the component troops were
greeted by a panel featuring James A. Thurber, founder and director
of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American
University; Mike Evans, partner with the prominent law firm Preston,
Gates, Ellis & Rouvelas
Meeds, LLP, and former chief counsel and deputy staff director of the
Senate Finance Committee; and Steven E. Billet, chief of staff and
director of external affairs for the Graduate School of Political Management
at George Washington University and director of GW’s PAC Management
Certificate Program.
Lobbying strategies: Thurber,
commenting on the strength of the AIA delegation descending on the Hill,
offered praise. “Advocating
for what you believe in is our democratic right. It’s freedom of
speech at its best. It’s absolutely wonderful.” Offering
a Washington-insider perspective to the Grassroots attendees, Thurber
said, “What you need to know about this Congress is that it’s
increasingly bi-modal. There are very few representatives in the middle
now. Partisanship is becoming vicious and the minority party is cut out
of the action these days.”
Thurber’s also offered keys to a successful lobbying strategy:
- Mobilize at the grassroots level
- Build a coalition of support
- Frame the issue using advertising and public relations
- Conduct research, including policy, political, and legal analysis
- Get involved in national and local campaigns through volunteer efforts
and funding
- Conduct direct lobbying.
“A view from the shop floor:” Evans, a self-described “Hill
rat,” offered the AIA leaders “a view from the shop floor.” First,
he said, the House and Senate are very different in fundamentals, which
means they operate differently. While they work cooperatively at the
top tiers, the lower levels function independently, with most work getting
done in committee. In the Senate, the floor debate is where issues are
hammered out. “Members of Congress have a relatively predictable
outlook,” he continued. “It will be determined by their constituency,
the representative’s congressional role, and her individual interests.”
In conclusion, Evans noted three points to remember about the political
process in Congress.
- The system is complex—between the Senate, House, and various
committees—and to lobby effectively you need a range of experts
and skills taking a team approach on issues.
- You have to be flexible. Think about how your agenda fits in with
your representative’s agenda and his or her role. Be flexible
with your arguments and adapt to take advantage of upcoming issues.
- The grassroots effort is very important; effective advocacy requires
a good grassroots campaign. As an example, he noted that when the 2004
JOBS bill was pending, Texas Society of Architects Executive Vice President
David Lancaster’s meeting with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Tex.)
was critical—that visit made all the difference to ensuring that
A/E services were included in the bill.
The importance of being earnest
(about PACs): Billet congratulated the
AIA and component leadership for putting together a conference the size
and scale of Grassroots, noting that “you all are already committed” to
the AIA’s issue agenda. He then said that the task ahead is to
convince the other 74,000 members of its importance. AIA’s PAC
isn’t bad he noted, but it could be great, “You need to talk
to your colleagues and build a network. Your PACs could really deliver,
on both the state and federal level.”
With the Houston delegation on the Hill
The cold and blustery morning did not deter the Houston AIA delegation,
whose members each shared a happy confidence as they approached the
Rayburn Congressional Office Building on their way to visit their Texas
representatives. Braving the winds of Washington were Randall Walker,
AIA, president; Jeffrey Brown, AIA, president-elect; Barrie Scardino,
executive director; Martha Seng, AIA, past president; Martha Murphree,
Hon. AIA, consultant and former executive director; and Steve Parshall,
FAIA, vice chair, Center for Building Performance.
President-Elect Brown stated the team’s goals underscored those
of the AIA regarding getting cosponsorship for the Portman-Jefferson
Act. “We have one universal song, which is our support for revisiting
the now 20-year-old federal tax credits for affordable housing, community
revitalization, and historic preservation.”
Members of AIA Houston had a full slate of meetings, including appointments
with the following congressmen: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.,
22nd); Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex., 18th); Gene Green (D-Tex., 29th);
Kevin P. Brady (R-Tex., 8th); Al Green (D-Tex., 9th); Ted Poe (R-Tex.,
2nd); and John A. Culberson (R-Tex., 7th).
The team was very pleased with the outcome of all their meetings. The
first meeting, which was with Rep. Jackson Lee, set a positive tone for
the day. “I think we connected very well with her, both her agenda
and our agenda,” said Parshall. “I think we are off to a
good start.”
Scardino described the meeting with Jackson Lee as “wonderful” and
was “happy to have met her and impressed with her knowledge of
House strategies.”
The determined Houston team split up to cover more ground and was welcomed
at each Lone Star stop. All the representatives and their aides were
very interested in the Houston team’s presentation and engaged
them in meaningful dialogue. In the end, President-Elect Brown believed
all the meetings went very well. “They universally admired us and
our goals. There was no chin-wagging. They were all well informed.” He
also complimented the AIA for providing detailed literature about affordable
housing, community revitalization, and historic preservation. “The
issues were clearly outlined by the AIA packages, and this was a great
help.” Brown also mentioned he was impressed with Tammy Fisher,
legislative assistant for Congressman Brady, and Leo Munoz, legislative
assistant to Congressman Green.
Oregon delegation presents priorities
The poised and pensive delegation from AIA Oregon, along with AIA Senior
Director of Federal Affairs Wolfe, together tackled the morning’s
first appointment with Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in the historic Dirksen
Senate Office Building. Advocates from Oregon included Saundra Stevens,
Hon. AIA, executive vice-president, AIA Oregon/AIA Portland; Stuart
Weir, assistant director, AIA Oregon; Stan Chessir, AIA, president,
AIA Portland; Jonathan Stafford, AIA, president, AIA Oregon; Scott
Stolarczyk, AIA, president, AIA Southwest Oregon; Nancy Merryman, AIA,
president-elect, AIA Portland; Dana Ing, Assoc. AIA, associate director,
AIA Oregon; Mark McKechnie, AIA, president-elect, AIA Southern Oregon,
and John Weekes, AIA.
Members of the group spoke about the need for a Senate sponsor for both
the Portman-Jefferson and Community Enhancement Transportation bills
with Legislative Aide Elaine Paulionis. In addition to the key AIA advocacy
issues, the group also discussed the impact of the community development
block grants that are on the chopping block in the 2006 federal budget. “We
have a program that really works—that has proven results,” said
Stafford. “These cuts will affect every community throughout the
United States. They provide ancillary benefits that are hard to measure,
but that benefit the sense of community. I’m surprised that every
single mayor in the country isn’t calling their representatives
to protest the cuts.”
Following the meeting with Sen. Wyden’s aide, the Oregon contingent
split up to deliver their messages to Congressmen David Wu (D-Ore., 1st),
Greg Walden (R-Ore., 2nd), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore., 3rd), Darlene Hooley
(D-Ore., 5th), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore., 4th), and Senator Gordon Smith
(R-Ore.). During the visit to Congressman Walden’s office, Brian
Hard, legislative director for the congressman, praised the component’s
efforts and organization, “Most groups that come in here can’t
answer the question, ‘What does this mean to Oregon?’ Your
materials show exactly where architecture and construction professional
services fit into the local economy. I will share this information with
the congressman for sure.”
The group’s last visit with Rep. Blumenauer’s Legislative
Director James Koski and aide C.J. Laffer echoed through the halls of
Congress—literally. Due to the tight spaces in the Rayburn, the
group gathered in the hallway outside the congressman’s office.
With the Washington Monument framed in the window beyond, the delegation
asked for support on the energy/photovoltaics bill as well as Portman-Jefferson.
Understanding the importance of knowing their legislators’ personal
agendas, the group offered their support and technical assistance on
Blumenauer’s brownfields clean-up initiative, which focuses particularly
on abandoned military bases and sites in the downtown core. Although
they received no firm commitment from Koski on either bill, he said that
the congressman would give the issues serious consideration. Referencing
Blumenauer’s presentation to Grassroots attendees the evening before
Advocacy Day, Koski praised the AIA’s thoroughness and renewed
dedication to government advocacy, “Earl sees the difference, and
he felt the difference yesterday. We certainly appreciate this.”
When asked about the results of Advocacy Day, AIA’s Wolfe responded, “It’s
a bit early to have real results . . . I think the best news is the almost
universal upbeat reactions that AIA members came back from the Hill with
. . . Grassroots visits aren't the end of the process—just the beginning.”
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects.
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